1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to retrieving and storing sports balls and, more particularly, is concerned with a sports ball retrieval and storage device having a molded one-piece tapered receptacle and pivotal lid and support members on the receptacle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been numerous sports ball retrieval and storage devices introduced in the art over the years. These devices basically include a receptacle with a handle, and with or without a lid. The receptacle is formed by a plurality of interconnected side walls and a grate connected across the bottom of the side walls. The handle is attached to one or more of the side walls of the receptacle. The lid may be mounted to the top of one of the sidewalls and pivotally movable to open and close the receptacle. The bottom grate and side walls of the receptacle as well as the handle and lid are commonly made of a plurality of rigid wire-like bars. In addition, the rigid bars of the bottom grate are laterally spaced apart a distance slightly less than the diameter of a tennis ball so that when the device is placed over the tennis ball and pressed down on top of the ball, the tennis ball is compressed between the bars and forced into the receptacle.
Representative examples of such prior art ball retrieval and storage devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 698,226 to Roberts, U.S. Pat. No. 3,371,950 to Stap, U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,836 to Seewagen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,996 to Campbell, U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,138 to Brunner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,697 to Verde, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,504 to Perez et al. The devices of the Seewagen et al., Campbell, Brunner et al., Verde and Perez et al. patents show a receptacle and handle with the receptacle having side walls and a bottom grate formed by a plurality of rigid formed and welded wire-like bars. However, formed and welded wire-like bars are costly to produce and their use results in a relatively heavy device.
To overcome the aforementioned constructional drawbacks of receptacles and handles with wire-like bars of previous prior art ball retrieval and storage devices, receptacles have been made of parts formed of a rigid molded plastic material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,161 to Stap, U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,672 to Niksich and U.S. Des. Pat. No. 347,670 to Stap are representative of such devices. While not as heavy as devices formed of wire-like bars, these devices require the formation of numerous parts which have to be assembled by either the manufacturer, which increases production costs, or the consumer, which is less convenient.
Consequently, a need still exists for a ball retrieval and storage device which provides a more effective and comprehensive solution to the aforementioned problems of the prior art devices without introducing any new problems in place thereof.